by Neal Jones
The com panel next to the door chimed softly, and Erengaar glanced up. "Enter."
Dakkahr Broen, the Lord's Hand, stepped inside, glancing at the three empty chairs in front of the lord emperor's desk as he walked to the liquor cabinet. He poured himself a tumbler of spiced brandy, and then sat in the nearest chair. "Are you waiting for Ryomekk and Ranunt?"
Erengaar nodded, sipping his wine. "I thought it best to have them monitor the session from elsewhere."
"The senators certainly accepted your promise that they could speak freely. I was quite surprised by their...opinions."
Erengaar said nothing, staring at the tapestry on the far wall. It depicted the first lord emperor, Tiir Zy'Yaad, holding out his hand and staring regally into the room, as if demanding something from all who occupied this office. Erengaar had despised the likeness, feeling as if the eyes of the founder of the modern Emperium were watching him wherever he moved, even when he wasn't in the room. It was a childish fear, yes, but one that Erengaar had never been able to wholly conquer. He wondered idly if his father or grandfather had ever felt the same way, especially as the secret alliance with the Ko'Mar Collective had been first forged in S'elrim's reign. Until tonight, only Erengaar's grandfather, S'elrim, and his father, Emkai, as well as the respective heads of the Talik'Jhor, had known about that alliance. Erengaar was about to bring two more confidants into that most private of inner circles: Dakkahr and the commandant of the Emperium's military forces, First Lovar Ranunt.
The door chime sounded again, and Erengaar stood. "Enter," he commanded.
First Lovar Ryomekk, current head of the Talik'Jhor, stepped in first, followed closely by Ranunt. They paused, waiting for their lord emperor's permission to sit.
Erengaar motioned to the liquor cabinet. "Gentlemen, pour yourselves something to drink. This could be a lengthy meeting."
Ryomekk, as usual, politely declined, settling himself into the chair next to Dakkahr. The Lord's Hand shifted slightly, exchanging a nod with the director. Ryomekk rarely spoke, and when he did, his deep yet raspy tone always made Dakkahr feel cold and anxious, especially if the words were directed at him. Ryomekk was the very embodiment of the Talik'Jhor, a silent – yet deadly – force that always seemed to know what one was thinking before one said it aloud.
Ranunt, on the other hand, was only too happy to pour himself a glass of the same spiced brandy that Dakkahr had helped himself to. The commandant took the only other available seat, and all three waited for Erengaar to begin.
The lord emperor sat, leaning back as he folded his hands across his stomach and gazed somberly at the three men on the other side of the desk. "Gentlemen, I want to thank you for coming here at such a late hour. My aid is bringing dinner soon, and I have ordered enough for all of us." He paused, considering his next words. "I don't want this meeting to last any longer than necessary, but as many of the senators pointed out earlier, our empire is facing a very great crisis. It is up to the four of us to decide what must be done." He opened up his hands and leaned forward, indicating that the floor was theirs. "Give me your thoughts."
Ranunt was the first to speak. "The senate is clearly divided, lord. I, of course, am with those who suggest that we have lost our power and influence over the mobs. Which is what our people have become – ungrateful mobs who are not content with their station in life. The Resaki districts have become nothing but breeding grounds for rebels and anti-government activists."
"What would you have us do, Ranunt?" Dakkahr argued. "Raze the districts? Eliminate all welfare programs? Senator Tulas was right; we would be playing directly into the Drigald's hands. Unacceptable!"
"Actually," Ryomekk interrupted, "he's correct. The last two bombings by the Drigald took place in commerce plazas that are within the two largest of the Resaki districts here on homeworld. Those districts have become a haven for members of the Drigald and their supporters. I think it's time we eliminated them altogether."
The three men looked to Erengaar, awaiting his response.
The lord emperor set aside his wineglass and nodded. "All of you are correct. I think it's time we employed a strategy of careful peace as well as dominance." He leaned forward, tapping a command in her terminal keypad. The wall screen behind his desk came to life with a starmap. "Senator V'Ruk was correct to point out our position as a galactic power in this quadrant. What he failed to mention was the soldier in the dark." Erengaar was referencing a term used in the game of King's War. Similar to chess, the game was played on a board of colored tiles, with pieces representing soldiers, priests, kings, and queens. The soldier in the dark was the piece that each player was allowed to conceal at the start of the game, usually left in the colored pouch that normally held all the playing pieces before and after each match. "Of course," Erengaar continued, "V'Ruk cannot be faulted for this mistake, since he and the rest of the senate know nothing of the Ko'Mar and their presence within Emperium space."
Ryomekk coughed, shifting forward slightly. "My lord?" His unspoken question was clear. Are you sure it's wise to reveal this secret?
"Don't worry," Erengaar assured him. "My reason for bringing these two into our plans will be clear soon enough."
Dakkahr set aside his tumbler, glancing back and forth between Erengaar and Ryomekk. "What are you talking about?"
The lord emperor indicated the starmap. He tapped a command on his keypad, and one corner magnified, the sector highlighted and labeled. "This is the Tasumlor sector. This star system here, on its outer rim, is Sarlond. For the last hundred and twenty years it has been under the exclusive control of the Talik'Jhor. The reason for that is because of the inhabitants of that system. They arrived in our space from beyond the galactic rim, and my grandfather, Lord Emperor S'elrim, made a pact with the beings whom we call the Ko'Mar. Their actual name is unpronounceable in our language. With the help of the Talik'Jhor, the Ko'Mar promised my grandfather a return to the glory of the Old Emperium in exchange for a planet on which they could settle. S'elrim granted them the only inhabitable planet in the Sarlond star system. The Tasumlor sector was immediately put under exclusive control of the Talik'Jhor, and it has remained that way ever since." Erengaar paused, gauging the reactions of Dakkahr and Teon.
"Who, exactly, are these...Ko'Mar?" the first lovar asked.
The lord emperor shrugged as he sipped his wine. "To be honest, we aren't really sure." He held out a hand to Ryomekk. "N'Ro?"
"The Ko'Mar are unlike any alien species that we have ever encountered. In fact, as far as we have determined, they are unlike anything the other empires of this quadrant have ever encountered. As the lord emperor has stated, they came here from outside this galaxy. Over the last century they have provided us with technological knowledge that has considerably advanced our abilities to construct warships and weapons. We later learned that they were indirectly responsible for assigning First Krin Nejra's warship, the Il T'Shrak, to the star system where the alien hypergate was found. The Ko'Mar assisted us from their hiding place, helping us study and assimilate the alien technology that allowed us to build the assault legion."
"That explains a lot of things," Ranunt murmured.
"The Ko'Mar use humanoid representatives to speak for them," Erengaar explained. "The one that I have been communicating with for the last year is named Vuil'SN." He pronounced the "ui" as a long "o". "Mister Vuil'SN informed me six months ago of a new form of biotechnology that the Talik'Jhor have since surgically implanted in several dozen operatives."
"What type of biotechnology?" Dakkahr glanced warily at Ryomekk.
"It has allowed us to communicate with one another instantaneously over distances as great as twenty or thirty light years," N'Ro replied. "The implants are undetectable by standard bioscans and other external security measures. We are currently working with the Ko'Mar in improving the implants so that our agents can be placed among the Federation territories as spies."
"In the meantime," the lord emperor interjected, "Vuil'SN informed me five wee
ks ago that he has something new to show me. I'm scheduled to meet with him in three days at the border of the Sarlond system."
Ranunt walked to the liquor cabinet to refill his glass. "What exactly does all of this have to do with our current predicament with the Drigald and our other economic crises?"
Erengaar hesitated. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Ever since the loss of the assault legion, the Ko'Mar have told me very little. However, N'Ro has informed me that his agents in the Tasumlor sector believe that the Ko'Mar have been working on another project."
"What kind of project?" Dakkahr asked.
Erengaar frowned, tapping one finger absently against the stem of his glass, as he looked at Ryomekk. "They don't know."
"Perhaps you are about to find out," Ranunt suggested as he returned to his seat.
The lord emperor nodded. "That is my hope."
The door chime sounded again, and Erengaar stood. "Enter."
The aid walked in, trailed by three servants whose arms were laden with platters of food. Erengaar motioned to the table on the other side of the room. The servants set down the platters and then bowed before exiting. The aid remained, setting the table properly, and then moved to one side, waiting for further orders.
"Gentlemen," the lord emperor said, motioning to the table. "Let us eat." He turned to his aid. "Leave us, and wait outside."
The boy bowed and quickly left. Erengaar sat at the head of the table, and all four men began to fill their plates with thick slices of roasted cayrd and an assortment of acko greens.
"You said earlier that you would use a strategy of peace and dominance," Dakkahr said to Erengaar. "What exactly did you mean by that?"
"I think that both sides are correct. As V'Ruk pointed out, the only way to remove the Drigald's teeth is to make peace with them. We start by lowering taxes for everyone, the wealthy and the poor. We then use the money that I have set aside for the shipyards in the Plonn system. There should be enough to begin remodeling and upgrading the Resaki districts here on homeworld."
"You are putting that project on hold?" Ryomekk interrupted.
"What choice do I have? We have no soldiers to crew those warships, and all of our scouting missions in the star systems beyond the hypergate have turned up no more alien technology. Unless the Ko'Mar can come up with some other resource, we have no way of constructing a new assault legion."
"I think that is a wise decision, lord," Dakkahr said, reaching for another helping of greens.
"All right," Ranunt said, nodding, "I think I see where you're going with this. After we finish upgrading and restoring the Resaki districts, and after we cut taxes, then what? We withdraw our military forces from the conquered worlds of our empire?"
"Yes." There was a gleam in Erengaar's eye as he looked around the table, and the reactions of his council were as predicted. Ryomekk sliced off a bite of meat and chewed thoughtfully, frowning. Dakkahr helped himself to more wine, avoiding his lord's gaze, and Ranunt cleared his throat, his eyes widening just a bit. "Gentlemen, listen to me carefully. We have a singular opportunity here to throw our enemies entirely off balance. V'Ruk and the others are correct: we have lost the admiration and respect of our people. And when I say 'our people', I mean Jha'Drok. There was a time not long ago when it meant something to be born of Jha'Drok blood. There was a distinct honor that came with that birthright, no matter if your house was wealthy or poor. You were Jha'Drok! Now, the name of our empire is synonymous with weakness, with gluttony, with cowardice. We have been reduced to quivering fools before the presence of the Chrisarii, the Federation and the Khazar. Just look at the recent invasion of the Graavis sector! An entire legion was lost trying to reclaim those star systems, and the Talik'Jhor are still no closer now than they were six months ago to finding an answer to the mystery of how the Khazar so quickly achieved that victory!" Erengaar slammed a fist on the table for emphasis. "And, of course, the Shouk Drigald have not hesitated to use that loss as another sign of how weak this government has become!" He paused, regaining his composure, looking at each of the men in turn. "The Drigald is right about our weakness. The loss of the assault legion last year was a more costly mistake than it should have been. My grandfather and my father were wrong to pour so much of the Emperium's wealth into that project. Now, I am left to clean up their mess, and this is the only way that I know of to do it." He paused again, sipping his wine.
"For this next year," Erengaar continued, "we will concentrate on implementing emergency tax relief for our citizens, as well as using the funds that I mentioned earlier to upgrade and improve all Resaki districts on homeworld. The details of this phase are what I want to discuss with you tonight. Once we have recorded these details, I will take this plan to the Director of Treasury in a special meeting in two days. Dakkahr, I think you should be present as well. We will then present this plan to the senate next week, and they will approve it."
None of the other men asked what would happen if the senate didn't approve the legislation. The Jha'Drok Emperium was not a true monarchy, at least not as it had been in the ages of the First and Second Emperiums. Towards the end of the Third Emperium it had morphed into a constitutional monarchy, with the Lord Emperor – or, in a rare case, the Lady Empress – serving more as a figurehead than an actual ruler. The Imperial Senate served as the true governing body of the empire, and while its representatives had rarely refused the special requests or new acts of legislation presented by the reigning monarchs, the Senate usually took its time debating and analyzing such requests before voting on them. There had been however, a few instances in the last thousand years when the Senate had vetoed a bill presented to them by their lord emperor.
For the rest of the evening, long into the night, the four men completed the details of their plan. After he dismissed them, Erengaar sat at his desk once more, watching his aid clear the supper dishes. As he had done so many nights previous, he activated the holoscreen on the far wall and watched the glittering cityscape of Gtheldron as he sipped his wine.
( 2 )
"Hey, Chris, take a look. We've got a code forty-seven on DPC-nine."
Lieutenant Navarr swiveled to face Lieutenant Scarvo who was seated at the secondary operations console in the security office. A bank of screens covered that wall, and Scarvo was magnifying the readout on one of them. "Show me."
Scarvo pointed. "ID chip says Tilura Shrane, Orethian."
"But no outstanding warrants," Navarr said, skimming the readout. "Transfer this to my terminal." She returned to her desk, and Dana followed, looking over her shoulder.
"Well, now, that's a colorful rap sheet," Dana commented dryly. "We're definitely going to want to keep an eye on her."
Navarr nodded, scrolling through the readout. "It's a logical assumption that she's here to see Grax. Who do we have patrolling that sector of the promenade right now?"
Scarvo walked back to her console to check the duty roster. "Lieutenant Major Xan."
"Transmit him this readout, and tell him to keep an eye out for her."
( 3 )
Thalor Grax beamed as he handed the Murdohn businessman a frothing glass of Kravanite fire ale. "That will definitely take the edge off, Mister I'Tash. My customers never order more than one of these."
I'Tash laughed as he accepted the drink. "I can see why. This thing is huge!" He held out his right hand, palm down, and Grax scanned the credit chip implanted beneath his skin. "Thanks, Mister Grax."
"Call me Thalor." The bartender moved down the counter to his next customer, chatting with others as he passed. The lunch crowd was just starting to pour in, and the tables were filling up fast. Grax filled a drink order for one of the waitresses, and then rang up another customer's tab. The bar was positioned close to the front of the restaurant, and Grax glanced at the entrance as he cleared away a pair of empty glasses from the counter.
The woman he saw speaking to his host made him stop short, and he nearly dropped the glassware. Thalor hurriedly shoved the tumblers into the ne
arby reclamator and then called to one of his waiters. "Luke! Man the bar for me, please. I'll be right back." He moved quickly, intercepting the woman who was already headed to the bar.
"Thalor!" She greeted him, smiling.
"Tilura," he replied, returning her smile, though his was a bit less genuine. "How long has it been?"
"Fourteen – no, fifteen years." She shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe it's been that long!"
He nodded. "Come with me." He guided her by the elbow to the back of the restaurant where the private rooms were located. All five were empty at the moment, and he ushered Tilura into the nearest one. He turned to the com panel as soon as the door closed and activated the lock.
When Grax faced Tilura, his smile was gone. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded coldly.
To her credit, Tilura appeared somewhat chagrined. "I'm sorry, Thalor, I had no choice."
"Bullshit!"
She looked puzzled. "I don't recognize that curse. Is it Murdohn?"
"Stop trying to change the subject! I told you I never wanted to see you again! What part about that did you not understand?"
Tilura crossed her arms over her chest and faced her old friend defiantly. "I am more than happy to stand here and let you holler at me until you're gray in the face, or you can listen to what I have to say, and we can get this over with a lot sooner." She stared at him, waiting for his reply.
Thalor stared back, his mouth drawn into a taut line, his hands clenched at his sides. Finally, he shook his head and pulled out a chair from the nearest table. He motioned for her to do the same. "Fine. Talk."
